Sculpting - **1/2
Eddie was a little kid - Butch Patrick often said one of the reasons he won out over 500 other kids was because he was much smaller than the others, and that short to tall dichotomy with Herman played well on screen.

This figure seems a bit too tall to me, coming in at about 6". Even the face sculpt seems older, closer to a teen than the original Eddie. The widow's peak seems a bit extreme, much deeper and thicker in appearance than it should be.

Marilyn was very pretty, the sort of 1960's sweet girl next door pretty, and the rest of the family pitied her for her 'plain' looks. The sculpt here captures that essence, but they didn't quite nail this one either. Pat Priest, who played Marilyn, was a knock out, but that's always hard to reproduce in plastic form.

This is also one of those times where the articulation causes a very specific aesthetic problem. The pin ankles give her some weird cankles, and it's not a good look.

It's not that you won't recognize either character - you will. But the likeness is just not quite there.

Eddie comes in at about 6", while Marilyn is closer to 7 1/2". Both have hands that are sculpted to work with the accessories, and both stand great on their own.

Paint - ***
There's nothing exceptional about the paint work, but it is fairly clean overall.

There's a few spots that are a bit gloppy, and I noticed a few poor cut lines, but the problems aren't extreme.

I like the dry brushing on Marilyn's dress, giving it a little more detail than the plain yellow. The faces and hair are also solid work, critical areas on any figure.

Articulation - ***
Both figures are well articulated, considering the style and design.

Both have very good ball jointed necks, with plenty of tilt and lean action. The arms have ball shoulders - 'NECA' style - cut biceps, pin elbows and cut wrists. The torso includes a cut waist and Marilyn has an ab crunch as well, and these work pretty well.

The legs have either ball jointed hips (Marilyn) or hinge style hips (Eddie), as well as pin knees and ankles. There's also a cut thigh joint on both, allowing the feet to turn outward, a big plus for many stances.

You should have no trouble getting a good stance out of each, and since these aren't superheros, extreme poses aren't really necessary.

Accessories - ***
There are five accessories - two for Marilyn, two for Eddie, and one just for everyone.

Eddie comes with Woof Woof, his stuffed toy. It's sculpted to stand on its own, or to be held in Eddie's arms or hand. I like that they put him in his sleepwear, but the sculpt looks more like a cross between a wolfman and Chaney's Hunchback, than the very werewolf-like Woof Woof. Perhaps there was some worry that the original doll looked too much like the 1941 Chaney Wolfman, and that might have created some licensing concerns.

Marilyn comes with a book called "Tomb and Garden". I'm sure it was tough thinking of good accessories for her - let's face it, she never did a whole lot on the show.

Both figures come with a wooden floor display base, to go along with the rest of the line. They don't actually hook together, but they give some consistency to the display. Neither have to use the base to stay upright.

Finally, there's the huge collar for Spot, the dragon they keep under the stars. It includes a hunk of chain, but it's all plastic - no metal. They have shown a prototype of the staircase playset, so this collar may be even more useful in the near future.

Fun Factor - ***
These are articulated well enough for play, and are sturdy enough to hold up. These aren't really kid toys - the desire to display them and pose them will come from nostalgia - but they should still retain that toy essence.

Value - ***1/2
Most specialty market figures are $15 - $20 each right now, including the rest of the Munsters family. However, you should be able to snag these for around $11 each. Since they have as many accessories as many other specialty market action figures, and are running several dollars cheaper, they are definitely a solid value.

Things to Watch Out For -
Zippo!

Overall - ***
Occasionally, we get action figures or other collectibles based on characters that I never expected to see. These two are a great example. While I have fond memories of watching the Munsters on a black and white television, I'm surprised that enough other geeks are that nostalgic about the show. It's nice to see though - unusual licenses are a welcome change of pace from the millionth Star Wars or Batman figure.

It's also great that we've completed the core family, so that you aren't left with a display lacking someone important. Let's face it, our Sideshow LOTR series is never going to look right without the full Fellowship, and it's great to see all the Munsters together in one style.

These are also available in black and white, although I think you can only get Eddie and Marilyn in that paint deco if you buy the full family pack.

They've shown off a stair case playset, as well as new versions of both Herman and Grampa (check here for photos from SDCC last summer), and I'm hopeful that we'll see those make it to market.

Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - **1/2
Paint - ***
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - ***1/2
Overall - ***

Where to Buy -
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Urban Collector has this set for $21, as well as the full family in black and white for $59.

- Mike's Comics N Stuff has the pair for $21.

- Entertainment Earth has the family for $65, and the pair for $22. They also have some 'not mint'' packages that are MUCH cheaper, and well worth picking up if you are an opener.

- Big Bad Toy Store has the siblings for $22, and the family for $65.

- Things From Another World has this pair for $23, and the full family for $68.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Munsters include Herman, Lilly and Grampa, and there were also black and white versions of each. DST has done series 1 and series 2 of the classic Universal Monsters in this same scale as well.

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